Make big plans for your home in 2025
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It’s easy to make new year’s resolutions, but hard to keep them. Part of the problem is that it’s January - the weather is cold and wet, everyone feels cash-strapped after Christmas, and the lure of comfort food is more appealing than a trip to a crowded gym. With that being the case, why not plan ahead instead? Make a resolution for something you can get done later in the year, and put it on your calendar with a red circle around it. And there’s no plan that is more effective or more impactful than a plan to change your home. Embarking on a big home improvement project can be an intimidating process, but if you start thinking about it now, you can make it a reality in 2025. Here are some ideas for how you can make to transform your home, and some help to get you started.
Add an extension
There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all extension - they’re as different and diverse as the home’s they’re attached to. From sleek modernist boxes that provide a stark and stylish contrast to an older property, to traditional brick-built add-ons that blend seamlessly with what was there before, the possibilities of an extension are limited only by your imagination - and your budget.
There are lots of things to think about with extensions - while many are allowed under permitted development rules, you may need to obtain planning permission for your project. You will need plans from an architect or architectural technician, potentially a report from a structural engineer, and of course, a committed team of builders to turn the plans into reality, as well as a host of other tradespeople like plumbers, plasterers and electricians to turn it from a shell into a comfortable new living space. It’s not necessarily a straightforward project, but the end results can be spectacular, transforming your home for the better, while potentially boosting its value.
Create a loft conversion
Sometimes, the only way is up. If your home’s footprint is constrained by the size of the plot it’s on, or you don’t want to sacrifice precious outdoor space, then building upwards, and converting your loft, can be an equally transformative project.
There are a number of ways you can turn your loft into more useful living space, whether that be a bedroom, playroom, office, or anything else. Dormer conversions, hip to gable, and mansard roof conversions all have their uses depending on the structure of your home and how you want to use the space. You’ll have to be prepared to sacrifice some of your space below the conversion so you can create the stairs up, but the trade-off is gaining a whole new floor for your home.
Transform your kitchen or bathroom
Kitchens and bathrooms both have to be functional, hardworking spaces, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring or unloved. Bathrooms can be relaxing, calming rooms fitted with all the latest gadgets to make it feel like a high-end spa, while kitchens are the hub of the home, a place we cook, eat, work and entertain.
Fitting a new kitchen or bathroom can be a relatively straightforward job if it just needs a facelift - installing new units, tiling, or a lick of paint. But you can also use the opportunity to make bigger changes, remodelling the layout to work better for your family, even knocking down walls to expand the size and make the rooms more usable. How much does a new kitchen cost?